CLOSING 66 GOOD ENOUGH FOR TWO-STROKE TRIUMPH AND EIGHTH CAREER TITLE
January 28, 2018, Paradise Island, Bahamas – With darkness closing in, Brittany Lincicome shined bright down the stretch Sunday at the $1.4 million Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, firing a final-round 7-under-par 66 with birdies at four of her last five holes at Ocean Club Golf Course at Atlantis Resort to successfully defend her title.
A Pure Silk ambassador – and, in fact, the first – Lincicome, 32, won her eighth LPGA title and her first since her playoff victory over Lexi Thompson a year ago here. This time, despite a slow start in the opening round, Lincicome won outright, beating Wei-Ling Hsu by two strokes and Amy Yang and world No. 1 Shanshan Feng by three. Lincicome finished 54 holes in 12-under 207 after beginning the third round two behind Feng.
“I’ve never defended before so that’s pretty cool,” said Lincicome, who played 27 holes on Sunday and did so in a collective 10 under par with 12 birdies and two bogeys. Her 67 was the low round of the tournament until she bettered it with her closing 66. The Florida native is the first player to successfully defend an LPGA title since Shanshan Feng at the 2017 TOTO Japan Classic.
“It was totally on my bucket list,” Lincicome added about winning back to back for the first time.
Hsu (pronounced “she”) was tied with Lincicome until she bogeyed the par 3 17th hole after a spectacular chip in to save par at 16. Lincicome birdied 17 with a 12-foot putt to move two strokes ahead and then played the 18th hole in the gloaming. She converted a six-foot birdie at 18 under floodlights that had been used earlier in the day to illuminate the practice area when play resumed at 7 a.m. EST.
Hsu closed with a 5-under 68, her best finish since joining the LPGA in 2015. Her best previous finish was T-89 at the 2015 Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. Yang had a 70 and Feng a 71 on Sunday. Danielle Kang carded a 68 to end up alone in fifth at 8-under 211.
“I was very happy for my performance this week because my low ball wasn’t playing that great all the time,” Hsu said. “Trying to improve it over the winter and it looks like it done pretty good this week and got to play a lot of low shots and playing into the wind so very happy for me, especially my rhythm this week was very good.”
The sixth edition of the Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic was reduced to 54 holes after sustained high winds gusting to 43 miles per hour caused a suspension of the second round for nearly 27 hours.
Lincicome began her title defense Thursday with a 1-over 74, but found her stride over the final 36 holes to win $210,000 and 500 points in the first event of the Race to the CME Globe competition. She emerged with the win amid a bunched leaderboard. At one point on Sunday, she was among five players tied for the lead with Feng, Hsu, Yang and Lexi Thompson, who ended up tied for sixth at 212.
“The conditions were pretty rough out there and you just kinda had to stay patient and have some fun with it,” Lincicome said. “There wasn’t a lot you could do, and my putter was incredible all week, I made so many good putts, so many good par saves and good birdies coming down the stretch which really proved a lot to myself I think today playing 27 holes.
“Obviously, I missed my nap today,” she added. “And then to birdie a couple of holes down the stretch, that’s pretty incredible.”
First-round leader Brooke Henderson had a 72 to finish ninth at 213.
For more information, contact the Tournament Office at +1 242.676.2325 or the Media Center at 242.698.6005 or visit www.puresilkbahamasclassic.com.
About Pure Silk
Pure Silk is the “Official Rich & Luxurious Shave Cream of the LPGA” and sponsors a roster of talented professional golfers on the LPGA Tour. Pure Silk is a leader in the shave category and has a full offering of shaving cream, razors and personal care and beauty tools. Pure Silk products are available at retailers nationwide. For more information, visit www.PureSilk.com, www.Facebook.com/PureSilkShaveCream or
follow us on Twitter via www.Twitter.com/PureSilkShave.
About the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism
The Islands Of The Bahamas have a place in the sun for everyone from Nassau and Paradise Island to Grand Bahama to The Abaco Islands, The Exuma Islands, Harbour Island, Long Island and others. Each island has its own personality and attractions for a variety of vacation styles with some of the world’s best golf, scuba diving, fishing, sailing, boating, as well as, shopping and dining. The destination offers an easily accessible tropical getaway and provides convenience for travelers with pre-clearance through U.S. customs and immigration, and the Bahamian dollar at par with the U.S. dollar. Do everything or do nothing, just remember: It’s Better in The Bahamas. For more information on travel packages, activities and accommodations, call 1-800-Bahamas or visit www.Bahamas.com. Look for The Bahamas on the web on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. To purchase one-of-a-kind items from The Bahamas, visit www.eshopbahamas.com.
About the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association)
The LPGA is the world’s leading professional golf organization for women. Founded in 1950, the association celebrates a diverse and storied membership with more than 2,300 members representing 28 different countries. With a Vision to inspire, empower, educate and entertain by showcasing the very best of women’s golf, LPGA Tour Professionals compete across the globe, while dedicated LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) directly impact the game through teaching, coaching and management. The Symetra Tour consistently produces a pipeline of talent ready for the world stage. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Follow the LPGA on its television home, Golf Channel, and on the web via: www.LPGA.com, www.facebook.com/lpga, www.twitter.com/lpga, and www.youtube.com/lpgavideo.
About Global Golf Management
Global Golf Management is a worldwide sports event management company. With headquarters in Chicago, GGM has successfully staged nearly 900 events on five continents since its inception in 1989, including major championships on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS and LPGA, as well as the Olympic Golf competition. While GGM specializes in professional golf tournament production, the organization also manages and conducts corporate outings and other golf-related event ventures. For more information, visit www.GlobalGolfManagement.com or www.twitter.com/GlobalGolfMgmt.
Media contacts:
Dave Shedloski, Media Official, Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic Shedloski@nullgmail.com +1 740.501.2265
Mike Harmon, Global Golf Management, mike@nullglobalgolfmanagement.com +1 205.281.6704
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